RFID Vent Tube Apparatus, System and Methods for Vent Tube Intrusion Detection

ABSTRACT

The present invention is directed to a vent tube apparatus, system and methods incorporating a traceable material such as a Radio Frequency Identification (RFID) tag for use in conjunction with a filling machine during container filling operations for a quicker and more accurate detection of the location of the vent tube after it has become detached from a filling machine during filling operations, and to increase the safety of the filling operation and reduce costs and time when a malfunction occurs.

PRIORITY STATEMENT

This application claims the benefit of U.S. Provisional Application61/335,258 filed Jan. 4, 2010.

FIELD OF THE INVENTION

The present invention relates to vent tubes incorporating one or moredetectors or indicators for use in conjunction with a filling machineduring container filling operations to increase the safety of thefilling operation and reduce the associated cost and time when amalfunction occurs. In particular, the present invention relates to foodor beverage vent tubes incorporating a Radio Frequency Identification(RFID) tag and can incorporate other types of tags or traceable materialallowing for a quicker and more accurate detection of an intrusion (andthe location) of a food or beverage vent tube that has become detachedfrom a filling machine during filling operations.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

In the food and beverage industry there is a need for efficient andreliable manufacturing processes to quickly and safely manufacture andpackage the food and beverage product. Most food and beverage plantsacross the United States run continuously, 24 hours a day and 7 days aweek, to meet the ever increasing demands. With these stringent demandson their machines as well as personnel, most food and beverage plantshave implemented some form of process control or automation. By usingprogrammable logic controllers (PLCs) and various other logiccontrolling devices, elementary applications that used to require manualattention can now be done with machines.

In particular, the demand today for beverage containers filled withproduct, such as cola and beer, is greater than it has ever been andcontinues to grow. These containers can be glass bottles, aluminum cansor any type of canister that can store, for example, consumablebeverages, automobile product, hair and skin care product, and any otherliquid or semi-liquid product that is packaged and distributed in such acontainer. These container packages can be any size and shape, such asthose found in 12 ounce cola or beer cans and bottles, and the variousbottles containing hair care product. These containers can be made frommany different materials, such as glass, plastic, aluminum, tin amongothers, and are enclosed, after being filled with product, using a typeof cap or top attached by screwing onto the container, crimping,pressing or heat sealing, or in other ways to enclose the product in thecontainer.

In order to meet this demand for liquid and semi-liquid product, highspeed, automatic filling machines are incorporated in the fillingprocess. These automatic machines can load, fill, enclose, and box upthousands of these containers each minute in a high-speed operation.These automatic filling machines load the empty containers onto aconveyor and move the bottles into a location on the machines where thecontainers come in contact with the filling machine and are filled withproduct. Once filled, the containers are enclosed or sealed and arequickly moved away from the filling station, and boxed up or packagedalong with other filled containers to be shipped or distributed toretail centers and the like.

In such a high-speed operation, when an accident or mistake occurs,hundreds or thousands of containers may inadvertently be filled beforethe filling machine or process can be halted. In these situations, thehundreds or thousands of containers filled after the accident may needto be discarded, wasting time and money to determine which bottles werefilled after the accident.

The fill process will vary depending on the product being filled, andvarious factors, such as the temperature and viscosity of the product,the beverage gas, the effect of those gases and related pressurecharacteristics during the filling process. Accordingly, the fillingprocess and related conditions can be optimized and maximized monitoringand controlling these factors. For purposes of this application and forsimplicity, most of the examples herein will refer to a carbonatedbeverage filling process, although the apparatus, system and methodsdescribed herein relate to any similar type of filling process.

Further, the filling process can not alter the food or beverage beingfilled. Thus, when planning a filling system it is important to matchthe appropriate filling steps to the beverage characteristics andcontainer. The steps of the filling process include some or all of thefollowing: evacuation of the container, flushing the container with gas,pressurizing the container with gas, filling the container with one ormultiple speeds, fill level correction (in certain cases), and settlingthe product.

Evacuation is used mostly on rigid containers in which a vacuum processremoves upwards of 90% of the air content in the container prior topressurizing with gas. Evacuation becomes more important when thecontents being filled are oxygen sensitive and the may be repeated atother times throughout the filling process. Additionally oralternatively, the container may be flushed with gas. This is donemostly with flexible containers, such as PET bottles and aluminum cans,which may not be able to withstand a vacuum. The flushing step takesplace at the time that the fill valve is located at the container andusually uses gas from the filling ring bowl until both pressures are thesame.

Next, filling takes place when the fill valve opens and the productflows over and around the vent tube and into the container. As thecontainer fills, gas in the containers is displaced by the product andflows through the vent tube and out of the container into the fillerring bowl, until the container is full. As an example, the vent tube maycontain an electronic probe to detect product and stop filling.Accordingly, the vent tube vents the gases being used while filling thecontainer with fluid. The process needs to be extremely accurate, and asa result most vent tubes are designed at specific lengths to achieveeach specific fill level per filling machine.

Fill level correction may be incorporated when the cost of product ishigh to save product. In the most commonly used fill level correctionstep, the container is first overfilled with product and then theproduct is extracted using a vacuum through the vent tube. Finally, bysettling, the pressure in the container is lowered and the beverage isallowed to settle as it is lowered from the fill valve.

The vent tubes used in the filling process described above usually areconfigured with an elongated, hollow, cylindrical tube extending thelength of the tube which allows the vent tube to enter the containeropening during the fill process without touching the container. Asdescribed above and in U.S. Pat. No. 3,736,966, which is incorporated byreference herein, the product can flow over the vent tube into thecontainer. The lower tip of the vent tube is usually closed and one ormore holes are provided so that any gas or air in the container can bedisplaced through the vent tube during the filling process, minimizingor eliminating the possibility of a container exploding during filling

Traditionally, filling machines for glass containers use a vent tubemade of stainless steel or a stainless food-grade plastic hybrid. Forfilling aluminum containers, the vent tube is usually made from someform of food-grade plastic, such as Delrin®. Vent tubes can also use aball and cage system as described in U.S. Publication No. US20050199314A1, which is incorporated by reference herein.

Due to the high speeds and constant use of these filling machines,occasionally a vent tube may detach from the filling machine and fallinto the product container. When this event occurs there are minimalsystems in place to halt the filling process, locate the detached venttube, repair the filling machine and begin the process again. Eachminute that the process is halted equates to thousands of unfilledcontainers, as filling machines can run at speeds of 1650 cans perminute. Further, the longer the process continues, the more filledcontainers that will have to be examined to find the detached vent tube.In many situations, the containers filled with product that were boxedup or packaged after the vent tube became detached are merely discarded,increasing the costs of the accident.

Some of the current systems used to check for detached stainless steelvent tubes include the use of inductive or capacitive sensors, visionsystems or other ultrasonic inline systems. Additionally, systems fordetermining when a vent tube has become detached and fallen into thecontainer include the electromagnetic detection fields or X-ray basedtechnologies. Some of the manufactures of these technologies includeOmron Corporation, Industrial Dynamics Company, and the FortressTechnology Inc, among others.

However, most of these inspection systems need to have direct access toeach and every container after it has been filled with product, and areused as a way to detect the vent tube by examining each container. Thisprocess either slows down the filling line because each and everycontainer must be examined, or takes longer time than necessary to findthe container in which the vent tube has fallen if each container hasnot been examined.

Further, some of the systems work better with metal vent tubes, whileother systems work better with plastic vent tubes creatinginconsistencies, or the need for additional equipment when changing todifferent vent tubes. For example, when a plastic vent tube falls into acan made of aluminum at a filling plant, the inductive and capacitivetechnologies cannot detect the plastic vent tube (foreign) objectthrough the aluminum can.

There is currently no apparatus, system or method that incorporates anindicator, such as an RFID tag, into a vent tube for use during fillingoperations, that increases the safety of the filling operation andreduces the costs and time when a malfunction occurs, such as when avent tube detaches from the filling machine and falls into thecontainer. There is also no apparatus, system or method relating to venttubes incorporating an RFID tag that allows for a quicker and moreaccurate determination of the location of a vent tube that has becomedetached from a filling machine during filling operations. The presentinvention satisfies these needs.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In order to solve the above-mentioned shortcomings in fillingoperations, the present invention utilizes apparatus, system and/ormethods for determining the location of a vent tube when it malfunctionsand becomes detached from a filling machine and, in special cases, fallsor intrudes into a container being filled. In particular, the inventionutilizes a vent tube modified with a traceable material, such as an RFIDtag, and can incorporate a system and methods for scanning a fillingmachine, as well as food or beverage containers, using sensingtechnologies, such as RFID technology.

The present invention solves the problems facing the packaging industry,and in particular, the beverage filling industry as described above. Thepresent invention incorporates a solution for consistent detection ofvent tube intrusion into a container, which exceeds the currentstandards at specific beverage manufacturing plants.

At large automated beverage manufacturing plants, aluminum cans are acommonly used container for product. As described above, when a plasticvent tube falls into aluminum can as it is being filled, the inductiveand capacitive technologies normally used to detect metal vent tube,cannot detect the plastic foreign object through the aluminum can. As aresult expensive X-ray systems used or product is considered waste.

The present invention solves this inherent problem by incorporating orimplementing an RFID tag into each vent tube and associated monitoringsystems. The incorporated RFID tag can be used on metal, metal-plastichybrid, ball cage, and plastic vent tubes with the same result. Byplacing an in-line identification gate or RFID scanner or reader afterthe filling process occurs, and a continuous monitoring system on thefilling machine any such vent tube can be reliably tracked if it becomesdetached from the filling machine during the filling process.

By tagging the vent tube with an RFID transponder or other taggingtechnologies, routine consistency checks will not have to be performed.Further, other materials may now be considered as containers for thepackaging side of the manufacturing facilities.

The vent tube detection system used in conjunction with the presentinvention has several components, such as chips, tags, readers andantennas. By incorporating an RFID tag or transponder or other taggingtechnology into the vent tube, the vent tube can be tracked using thesame transponder or tag reading system as described above. Since thetransponder is created by attaching a small silicon chip to a smallflexible antenna, the chip can be used to record and store information.To read the transponder and locate the specific vent tube, the RFIDreader sends out a radio signal to be absorbed by the antenna andreflected back as a return signal delivering information from thetransponder chip memory.

In use, the container filling machine operates in its normal manner withempty containers sent down a conveyor to the filling section of thesystem. The vent tube is then lowered (or the empty container is raised)to come in contact or near contact with the container. The container isfilled with the product as described above, and the vent tube isseparated from the filled container. The filled container is thencovered and/or sealed. This filling process fills thousands ofcontainers each minute.

If, during these high-speed operations, a vent tube malfunctions (i.e.,detaches or sheers from the filling machine, and falls into thecontainer), the RFID transponder incorporated into the vent tube willlikewise fall into the filled container. Using the vent tube detectionsystem, the system can have immediate information that the vent tube hasdetached from the filling system and precisely which container the venttube is located. The reader can be anywhere from 1 foot to 20 to 30 feetfrom the location of the container or filling machine depending on thetype of RFID tag used. Further, handheld RFID tag readers can be used atthe time of the malfunction to assist in finding the broken vent tube.

The vent tube detection system can be set up at various locations in thefilling plant in order to make sure that a vent tube has not beenaccidentally been misplaced into a filled container before the containeris shipped out of the plant.

These and other aspects, features, and advantages of the presentinvention will become more readily apparent from the attached drawingsand the detailed description of the preferred embodiments, which follow.

DRAWINGS

The preferred embodiments of the invention will be described inconjunction with the appended drawings provided to illustrate and not tothe limit the invention, where like designations denote like elements,and in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates a filling machine in accordance with one embodimentof the present invention;

FIG. 2 illustrates an inspection system for inspecting empty and fullcontainers in accordance with the present invention;

FIGS. 3A and 3B illustrate a vent tube incorporating indicators inaccordance with an embodiment of the present invention; and

FIG. 4 illustrates an exemplary indicator detection system in accordancewith an embodiment of the present invention.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION

As described herein, product, such as cola or beer, is transferred fromthe production, brewing or fabrication stage to the packaging stage tobe individually packaged for sale. This transfer process is known as thefill or filling process and utilizes automatic high-speed fillingequipment to fill and seal thousands of containers each minute. Often,these automatic filling machines are of the rotary filler type, whichmay vary in size from 40, 60, 72, 100, 120 or 180 fill valves and venttubes per machine, allowing for the filling of thousands of containerseach minute that the machine is in use.

FIG. 1 shows a typical rotary bottle or can filler 10, such as onemanufactured by KHS AG, which incorporates vent tubes 12 in the filling(and venting) process. In general terms and as described in more detailherein, a vent tube 12 come in contact or near contact with a container14 prior to filling the container 14 with the product (not shown). Oncea container 14 is in the correct position, product can be transferred tothe container 14 with air or gas in the container displaced through thevent tube 12. The container is then sealed or seamed (not shown).

For glass containers 14, the vent tube 12 is usually made of stainlesssteel, but can be made of a food grade plastic, stainless steel hybrid.For aluminum containers, the vent tube 12 is usually made of a foodgrade plastic material. In a ball cage vent tube, a food grade plasticball is used to start and stop the flow of gas.

Due to the high speeds where thousands and tens of thousands ofcontainers are filled each minute, and due to the constant use of thesefilling machines 10, occasionally a vent tube 12 may detach from thefilling machine 10 and fall into the product container 14. If and whenthis event occurs there are a few primitive systems in place to locatethe vent tube 12 and halt the filling process before thousands ofadditional containers are filled, making it more difficult to locate thecontainer 14 with the broken vent tube 12.

FIG. 2 shows a typical container inspection machine 20, such as from themanufacturer Industrial Dymnamics/filtec, in which each filled containermust pass before each container can be packaged and distributed. Asdescribed herein, these inspection machines 20 utilize varioustechnologies to sense imperfections in the filling process, includingwhen a foreign material, such as a vent tube, falls into a container.The technologies include using inductive and capacitive sensors, visionsystems or other ultrasonic inline systems. However, in most of thesesystems, each container must be individually scanned or tested. Forexample, the vision system utilizes a light shined through eachcontainer (assuming glass or some other translucent material) and avideo/vision camera that compares the viewed filled container against atable for any discrepancies. These systems generally slow down thefilling process, are expensive and do not always detect a vent tube 12that has inadvertently detached from the filling machine.

In accordance with the present invention, the vent tube used in the fillprocess is configured to incorporate a traceable material, such as anRFID tag, a magnet, or in some cases, both. A scanning system and/ormethod can then be incorporated to check for malfunctions in the fillingprocess and also in which container a malfunctioning vent tube haslanded. Further, other types of traceable materials can be used withoutdeviating from the scope of the invention.

FIGS. 3A and 3B show an exploded view and an assembled view of a venttube 16 containing a traceable material, respectively. The vent tube 16comprises an RFID tag 18, a magnet 22, a vent tube head 24, a hollowcylindrical body 26 and indentations 28 for assisting in connecting tothe filling machine.

As described herein and in the preferred embodiment, the vent tube 16incorporates an RFID tag 18 for detection when the vent tube detachesfrom the filling machine 10. The vent tube 16 can be manufactured frommaterial that will be determined by the standards of the food andbeverage industry for each application. The RFID tag 18 can be attachedto, or housed or enclosed in, the vent tube 16 through a machining orinjection molding process as understood by one having ordinary skill inthe art, such that in the preferred embodiment the RFID tag 18 isattached to, or housed or enclosed in, the vent tube head 24.

The vent tube may also incorporate a magnet 22 for additional detectionpurposes. In some instances, the vent tube only uses a magnet 22 and notthe RFID tag 18. In accordance with the present invention, an RFID tagor other traceable material 18 can be placed on any type of vent tubeused in the filling process, including ball cage vent tubes. Similar tothe RFID tag above, the magnet 22 can be attached to the vent tube 16 inthe same manner. The present invention can utilize the RFID tag 18 aloneor in conjunction with the magnet 22.

RFID systems have several components, such as chips, tags, readers andantennas, which can be used to determine the location of an RFID tag(and any item that the tag is attached to) from a distance away. In itssimplest form, a small silicon chip is attached to a small flexibleantenna to create a tag. The chip is used to record and storeinformation and when a tag is to be read, the RFID reader or scannersend out a radio signal. The tag absorbs some of the RF energy from thereader signal and reflects it back as a return signal deliveringinformation from the tag's memory.

The RFID tags 18 do not require a battery, as the power is supplied bythe identification gate as understood by one having ordinary skill inthe art. Any type of RFID tag 18 can be used in the present invention,Ultra-High Frequency (UHF), High Frequency (HF), and Low Frequency (LF),each providing its own advantages and disadvantages. The higher thefrequency, the longer the range for detection; while the lower thefrequency, the less power that is needed for the tag to operate. Rangesof 20 to 30 feet are obtainable for the UHF RFID tags, while the HF andLF RFID tags operate at approximate distances of 1 meter and 1 foot,respectively.

As an example, UHF tags operate within the 800 and 900 MHz band andprovide a response from a range of 20-30 ft. RFID tags operating in theUHF range can transfer data much faster than RFID tags operating in theHF and LF bands. However, UHF RFID tags require more power than thoseoperating at the HF and LF bands, and are suited more for applicationswhen sensing through low density materials.

RFID tags operating in the HF range primarily operate at 13.56 MHz.These tags require a read distance typically of about 1 meter, and workwell when sensing through metal and liquids. RFID tags operating in theLF band have an operating frequency of 125 kHz and work well sensingthrough product or materials with a high concentration of water. TheseLF tags must be read with equipment within about a one foot range.However, these LF RFID tags require the least amount of power of thethree RFID tags described herein.

RFID readers or scanners are generally composed of a computer and aradio. The computer manages communications with the network or throughthe Programmable Logic Controller (PLC). The radio controlscommunication with the RFID tag, typically using a language dictated bya published protocol, such as the EPC Class 1 specification.

When the vent tube 16 of the present invention, containing the RFID tag18, is used in the filling process, an inspection system, such as anRFID reader, can be incorporated into the filling line or in numerousother locations to continuously check for vent tubes 16 that havedetached from the filling machine 10. As soon as a vent tube 16containing an RFID tag 18 detaches from the filling machine 10, the RFIDreader determines that the vent tube 16 is no longer in the correctlocation and can be used to find the container 14 in which the vent tube16 is located. This entire inspection and determination procedure takesseconds and can be incorporated into the filling system to immediatelyshut down the filling process as understood by one having ordinary skillin the art before many more containers are filled.

In the preferred embodiment, the system and methods of the presentinvention comprise incorporating or housing an RFID tag or transponderin a stainless steel vent tube, for use in glass bottle filling forexample, and a plastic vent tube, for use in aluminum can filling forexample. The vent tube may also incorporate a magnet along with the RFIDtransponder. Using an additional traceable material, such as a magnet,increases the detection of the vent tube in certain situations such aswhen the vent tube falls into an aluminum can and is sealed attenuatingthe signal.

The preferred embodiment of the system 40 and method is shown in FIG. 4,in which there are three points of detection or identification of thevent tubes 16 during the filling process. The first point of detection42 takes place while the vent tubes 16 are attached to the fillermachine 10. An RFID reader 42 is placed close to the filler 44 in asection where no containers 14 are present. As the filler 44 rotates inoperation the reader 42 continuously reads the RFID tags 18 that areimbedded in the vent tubes 16 to ensure one or more has not becomedetached during the filling process. This section 42 of the system 40will alert the operator if a vent tube 16 becomes detached from thefiller 44 and will also provide data indicating the specific filler venttube 16 position.

The second point of detection 46 takes place on the line after thecontainer 14 has been seamed or sealed. This section 46 of the system 40utilizes magnetic and inductive sensor technologies to detect theimbedded magnet 22 in the vent tube 16 (or the stainless steel venttube). This section 46 of the system 40 provides an output to theoperator that can be used in an auto reject system or at the operator'sdiscretion.

The third point of detection utilizes a handheld RFID reader 48. Afterthe first 42 or second 46 detection process has identified a vent tubedetachment, the operator can now scan the specific can or bottle withthe handheld scanner 48 in order to verify the location of the detachedvent tube 16.

The present invention does not have to incorporate each of thesedetection points, and the system can use one or any combination of thesedetection points to detect and locate a malfunctioning vent tube or avent tube that has broken off of the filling machine.

The first point of detection, the RFID reader 42, which incorporates anantenna, can be integrated (i.e., through an RFID hardware and/orsoftware integrator) into a local network at the filling site, or it canbe connected through a global communications network, such as theInternet, to a remote site as understood by one having ordinary skill inthe art. As such, the information received by the reader 42 at theantenna can be transmitted to a number of locations for informationalpurposes such as record keeping. Further, the second 46 and third 48points can also be integrated into the system as a whole. Additionally,the system is not limited to three detection points, as the system isscalable and additional detection points can be added for other fillinglines and for other scanning purposes, such as to make sure that none ofthe filled containers being loaded onto a truck have a broken vent tubelocated inside.

Also, each of the detection points can utilize one or more of thedetection methodologies. So for example, the first point of detection 42may only read RFID tags, while the handheld scanner 48 may be configuredto scan for both RFID tags and the magnet.

Other embodiments for determining a malfunction in the filling process10, such as a vent tube 16 detaching from a filling machine 10 andfalling into a container 14, include determining the temperature variantin the bottle as the temperature will change quickly when a vent tube 16falls into the container 14 filled with product. This embodiment employsmeasuring the temperature variant in the bottle 14 to detect if a venttube 16 is present. In a similar manner, determining the change inbottle 14 capacitance, whereby the system measures the capacitanceand/or change in capacitance in the bottle 14, can be used to detect aninadvertent vent tube 16. In this embodiment, a charge is applied to thebottle 14 and the system measures charge or discharge time.

Another embodiment for detecting a detached vent tube 16 includeutilizing an inductive sensor, where a ferrous material 22 is injectionmolded inside or into the vent tube 16, or a Hall Effect sensor, where amagnet 22 is injected molded inside or into a vent tube 16. Additionalsensors can be used to detect a modified vent tube 16 using Ultra Sonic,Infrasonic or Infrared sensors, or with the use of vision sensors.

It will be understood that the embodiments of the present inventionwhich have been described are illustrative of some of the applicationsof the principles of the present invention. Numerous modifications maybe made by those skilled in the art without departing from the truespirit and scope of the invention.

1. A vent tube apparatus for use in filling a container in a fillingmachine in which the vent tube is attached to the filling machine, andis configured to vent a gas from the container during the fillingprocess, comprising: a vent tube body, said vent tube body being hollowand configured to vent a gas from the container during the fillingprocess; a vent tube head, said vent tube head attached to one end ofsaid vent tube body; and a magnet, said magnet being housed in said venttube head, such that if said vent tube detaches from said fillingmachine, said vent tube can be detected using a magnet detection system.2. (canceled)
 3. The vent tube apparatus in claim 1, wherein saidcontainer is a glass bottle or an aluminum can.
 4. The vent tubeapparatus in claim 1, wherein said during the filling process means as aproduct enters the container.
 5. The vent tube apparatus in claim 1,wherein said housed in said vent tube head means enclosed during aninjection molded process.
 6. The vent tube apparatus in claim 1, whereinsaid housed in said vent tube head means attached during a machiningprocess.
 7. The vent tube apparatus in claim 1, further comprising aRadio Frequency Identification tag, said Radio Frequency Identificationtag being housed in said vent tube head.
 8. (canceled)
 9. The vent tubeapparatus in claim 7, wherein said Radio Frequency Identification tagbeing housed in said vent tube head means enclosed during an injectionmolded process.
 10. The vent tube apparatus in claim 7, wherein saidRadio Frequency Identification tag being housed in said vent tube headmeans attached during a machining process.
 11. A container fillingsystem for use in filling a container in which a vent tube is attachedto a filling machine, and said vent tube is configured to vent a gasfrom the container during the filling process, and the system isconfigured to determine when said vent tube malfunctions, comprising: avent tube, said vent tube having a vent tube body, said vent tube bodybeing hollow and configured to vent a gas from the container during thefilling process, a vent tube head, said vent tube head attached to oneend of said vent tube body, said vent tube having a magnet, said magnetbeing housed in said vent tube head; and a magnet detection system, saidmagnet detection system configured to detect a magnet, such that if saidvent tube detaches from said filling machine, said vent tube can bedetected using said magnet detection system.
 12. (canceled)
 13. The venttube apparatus in claim 11, wherein said container is a glass bottle oran aluminum can.
 14. The vent tube apparatus in claim 11, wherein saidduring the filling process means as a product enters the container. 15.The vent tube apparatus in claim 11, wherein said housed in said venttube head means enclosed during an injection molded process.
 16. Thevent tube apparatus in claim 11, wherein said housed in said vent tubehead means attached during a machining process.
 17. The vent tubeapparatus in claim 11, further comprising a Radio FrequencyIdentification tag, said Radio Frequency Identification tag being housedin said vent tube head.
 18. (canceled)
 19. The vent tube apparatus inclaim 17, wherein said Radio Frequency Identification tag being housedin said vent tube head means enclosed during an injection moldedprocess.
 20. The vent tube apparatus in claim 17, wherein said RadioFrequency Identification tag being housed in said vent tube head meansattached during a machining process.